Origanum plant named ‘Gilt Trip’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct hardy perennial plant,  Origanum  ‘Gilt Trip’, has dense, rounded, habit with heavily-branched spreading stems. The foliage is ovate, and chartreuse to light-yellow and resists burning when planted in full sun. Flowering begins in early summer and continues to early fall or frost with light lavender petal colors with persistent mauve calyces. The new plant is attractive and useful in the landscape en masse, as an accent, or in containers.

Botanical denomination: Origanum vulgare.

Variety designation: ‘Gilt Trip’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

The first non-enabling disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of aphotograph and brief description on a website operated by WaltersGardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2022. Subsequently, the new plant wasadvertised in the “Walters Gardens 22-23 Catalog” by Walters Gardens,Inc. released on Jun. 8, 2022. The claimed plant was first sold to thepublic on Jul. 25, 2022, by Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained theplant and all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plantsof Origanum ‘Gilt Trip’ have been sold to the public in this country oranywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant beenmade, more than one year prior to the filing date of this application,and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directlyor indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Origanumnamed ‘Gilt Trip’. The new plant resulted from a cross of theunreleased, unnamed, proprietary seedling of ‘Dr. Ietswaart’ (notpatented) as the female parent and the unreleased, proprietary hybridknown by 14-6 (not patented) as the male parent on Jun. 30, 2015, at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Michigan. Seed was harvested inthe summer of 2015 and given the breeder code 15-8-5 during the trialstages of the summer of 2017. The new plant has been asexuallypropagated initially by division in the fall of 2017 followed by shoottip cuttings since the summer of 2019 with the resultant plantsremaining identical to the original plant, stable and true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Origanum ‘Gilt Trip’ is different from its parents and all otherOrnamental Oregano known to the inventor. The nearest comparisoncultivars known to the inventor are ‘Dr. Ietswaart’ (not patented),which is one of the grandparents of the new plant, ‘Drops of Jupiter’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,676, and ‘Aures’ (not patented).

‘Dr. Ietswaart’ has a broader habit and the flowers are very palelavender to nearly white. ‘Drops of Jupiter’ has a larger habit withstronger stiffer stems and is more floriferous with darker flowers andbracts. ‘Aurea’ has a taller habit with flowers that are paler pink withless significant bracts.

The female parent (the seedling of ‘Dr. Ietswaart’) is taller and looserin habit with darker flowers. The male parent known as 14-6 has a tallerhabit with darker flowers.

The present invention has not been evaluated under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with changes in theenvironment such as light, temperature, water and nutrient availability,etc. without a change in the genotype of the plant. Origanum ‘Gilt Trip’is unique from all other Ornamental Oregano known to the inventor in thefollowing combined traits:

-   -   1. Habit is a dense, rounded, mound with heavily-branched stems        spreading with maturity;    -   2. Foliage is ovate and chartreuse to light-yellow when planted        in full sun and resists burning;    -   3. Flowers are light lavender with showy and persistent mauve        calyces;    -   4. Flowering begins in early summer and is effective with bracts        into early fall or until frost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant Origanum ‘Gilt Trip’ are in a full suntrial garden in Zeeland, Michigan and demonstrate the unique aspects ofthe new plant. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible withcolor reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, temperature, source, anddirection may cause the appearance of minor variations in color.

FIG. 1 shows the overall habit of a two-year-old plant in mid-seasonflowering.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the foliage on a one-year-old plant prior toflowering.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions are based on a two-year-old plant of Origanum‘Gilt Trip’ grown in a full-sun display garden in sandy loam withsupplemental water and fertilizer as needed. The color references arebased on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant hasnot been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype mayvary slightly with different environmental conditions, such astemperature, light, fertility, moisture, and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype.

-   Parentage: The female or seed parent is the proprietary unnamed    seedling of the cultivar ‘Dr. Ietswaart’, the male or pollen is    known only as 14-6;-   Plant habit: Herbaceous perennial; fast-growing bushy mound to about    36 cm tall and 75 cm wide at the soil level when in peak flower;-   Growth: Rapid; finishing in a standard #1-15 cm container in about    10 to 12 weeks from rooted plug; time to initiate roots at 23° C.    about one to two weeks;-   Root: Fine, freely branching; color nearest RHS 155D depending on    soil type and nutrient content;-   Foliage: Opposite; simple; ovate; rounded apex; rounded base; margin    entire to micro-ciliolate; puberulent adaxial and abaxial; adaxial    and abaxial surface matte;-   Leaf blade size: To about 50 mm long and 20 mm wide on lower main    stern, decreasing in size distally;-   Leaf color: Young adaxial between RHS 144A and RHS N144D, young    abaxial between RHS 145A and RHS N145D; mature adaxial variable    becoming lighter yellow distally and with more light exposure,    comprising RHS 158B, RHS 145A, and between RHS 18A and RHS 11A;    mature abaxial variable comprising RHS 146D, RHS 146C, and RHS 158A    becoming more and lighter yellow with more light exposure;-   Leaf fragrance: Pleasantly spicy; strongly aromatic;-   Venation: Pinnate; glabrous; slightly impressed on adaxial surface,    costate on abaxial surface;-   Vein color: Adaxial surface between RHS 144A and RHS N144A, abaxial    surface nearest RHS 146D;-   Petiole: Flattened; puberulent adaxial and abaxial;-   Petiole size: To about 8 mm long and 2 mm wide at base, decreasing    distally;-   Petiole color: Both adaxial and abaxial between RHS 146D and RHS    145C;-   Stem: About 50 main stems per plant; micro-puberulent; quadrangular,    about 4.5 mm across at base and to about 45 cm long; upright to    outwardly; heavily compound branching in about the distal 10 nodes;    to about 16 branches up to about 20 cm long and about 1 mm across at    base, decreasing distally; branch angle about 45 degrees above    horizontal; proximally becoming.-   Internodes: About 20 per stem; average about 2.3 cm apart with    greatest distance in the middle of the stem, decreasing proximally    and distally;-   Stem color: Variable; young actively growing nearest RHS 145C,    older, proximal, semi-woody portion nearest RHS N202A; node color    typically same as surrounding stem;-   Inflorescence: Compact cyme with small ornamental bracts subtending    individual flowers; to about 18 flowers per branchlet; flowering in    distal 18 cm to about 22 cm wide;-   Flowering season: From about early summer to early fall;-   Peduncle: Mostly vertical, puberulent; cylindrical; stiff; strong;    to about 2.5 cm long and 0.2 cm diameter; with about 18 flowers;-   Peduncle color: Variable; young nearest RHS 145C, older nearest RHS    187D to nearest RHS N186A;-   Pedicel: Sessile;-   Flower bud: One day prior to opening—obovate; about 4 mm long and 1    mm wide near apex;-   Flower bud color: Petal portion between RHS 75D and RHS 69C, calyx    portion between RHS 71C and RHS N77B;-   Flowers: Zygomorphic; bilabiate; about 8 mm long to exserted pistil,    about 3 mm wide, and 3.5 mm tall; sympetalous; bisexual or lacking    androecium;-   Corolla: About 6 mm long, 3 mm wide, and 3.5 mm tall; fused tube    portion about 4 mm long, 2 mm diameter at distal fusion portion, and    1 mm diameter at base; consisting of an upper tri-lobed labium and    lower single-lobed labium;    -   -   Upper lip.—Bi-lobed; each lobe rounded apex and entire            margin; to about 1.5 mm long and 5 1 mm wide.        -   Upper lip color.—Adaxial and abaxial between RHS 76C and RHS            84D with base nearest RHS NN155D, no significant color            change with maturity.        -   Lower lip.—Tri-lobed; center lobe rounded apex and entire            margin, about 1 mm long and 1 mm wide; two side lobes            rounded apex and entire margin, about 1 mm long and 0.7 mm            wide.        -   Lower lip color.—Adaxial and abaxial between RHS 76C and RHS            84D with base nearest RHS NN155D, no significant color            change with maturity.-   Calyx: Campanulate; synsepalous, 5-merous fused into calyx tube; 2    mm long and 1 mm across;-   Sepals: Five; glabrous; fused in basal 1.5 mm and free in distal 0.5    mm; acute apex, base fused; persistent after flower drop; about 2 mm    long and 0.5 mm across at fusion;-   Sepal color: Adaxial and abaxial base nearest RHS 145A, adaxial and    abaxial apices nearest RHS 146D with blush of nearest RHS 187C;-   Bracts: Below each flower and branch; ovate, acute margin, attenuate    base, glabrous adaxial and abaxial; to about 5 mm long and 3 mm    across near middle;-   Bract color: Adaxial and abaxial the same; nearest RHS 145A    proximally and distally between RHS 187C and RHS 187D;-   Gynoecium: Single; to about 8 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Cylindrical; glabrous; about 5.5 mm long and 0.3 mm            diameter; color in proximal portion nearest RHS 76D,            distally posterior to stigma between RHS 76B and RHS 76C.        -   Stigma.—Bifid; about 0.7 mm long; color nearest RHS 76B.        -   Ovary.—Superior; globose; about 0.5 mm diameter; ovary color            nearest RHS 145B.-   Androecium: Four;    -   -   Anthers.—Basifixed; globose; about 0.2 mm diameter; color            nearest RHS N187B.        -   Filaments.—Adnate inner corolla tube; various lengths from            about 1 mm to 5 mm and about 0.1 mm diameter; color nearest            RHS NN155D.        -   Pollen.—Not observed.-   Flower fragrance: No distinct fragrance was observed from flowers;-   Seed: Ellipsoidal; with acute base and rounded apex; to 1 mm long,    0.5 mm across; color variable, nearest RHS 200A to RHS 200D;-   Pest and disease: Susceptibility or resistance beyond that which is    typical for Origanum but typically not prone to browsing by deer or    rodents. The new plant has not been found to be susceptible to    bacterial or fungal leaf spots. The foliage resists burning in full    sun.-   Hardiness: Hardy from USDA zones 4 through 9;

I claim:
 1. The new and distinct hardy perennial plant, Origanum ‘GiltTrip’ essentially as herein described and illustrated.